South Yale Avenue down to one lane southbound Thursday

Motorists would be well advised to avoid the area around Saint Francis Hospital on South Yale Avenue Thursday, as traffic will be limited to one lane in the southbound direction.

The city and county are working together on that road improvement project, and as it nears completion they're limiting traffic all day, from about 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., between E. 61st St. and E. 71st St.

The project, when completed, will make S. Yale Ave. a six-lane road, with left turn islands at several locations.

The old left turn from southbound Yale into the St. Francis Hospital facility will no longer exist.

Drivers will have to go a bit further south to turn left into the hospital's new entrance.

While Thursday will prove a traffic headache for the many thousand people who have no choice but to make the drive along S. Yale, the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching.

Crews should have the work completed before the end of the month.